Lec 1: Reading a Case - R v Hughes

Question 1

Who are the two parties ?

Answer 1

• Mr Hughes
• Mr Dickinson

Question 2

What was the case history ?

Answer 2

It took place in the crown court. In the first hearing, Mr. Hughes was the defendant and Mr. Dickinson was prosecution. Case was taken to the court of appeal who heard the case and appealed it. COA reversed this decision and found Mr. Hughes not guilty. It was then taken to the Supreme court where Mr. Hughes was the appellant and Mr. Dickinson was the respondent.

Question 3

What were the legal issues for this case ?

Answer 3

The defendant didn’t have a driving license at the time of the incident.
- The defendant was uninsured and so they are both offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Question 4

What were the case facts of this case ?

Answer 4

• Mr Hughes was driving home on the A69. Mr Dickinson was driving in the opposite direction very erratically and changing directions suddenly.
• It was found Mr. Dickinson had in taken heroin and was tired due to the excessive long night shifts.
• Mr. Dickinson ended up in the wrong lane colliding with Mr. Hughes campervan.
• Mr. Hughes family survived but Mr. Dickinson died after suffering many injuries. Mr Hughes is now the subject of criminal prosecution.

Question 5

What was the decision at the end of this case?

Answer 5

Mr. Hughes was charged under s.3ZB of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for driving uninsured and not having a driving license even though he wasn’t found guilty of the death of Mr. Dickinson.

Question 6

What was the case report for this case ?

Answer 6

• It took place in the supreme court.
• Neutral Citation – R v Hughes (2013) UKSC 56; (2013) 1 WLR 2461
• Case Citation – R v Hughes took place in the UKSC 56. Case was heard by United Kingdom Supreme Court on July 31, 2013. The justices involved were Lord Neuberger, Lord Mance, Lord Kerr, Lord Hughes, and Lord Toulson.
• Date of the hearing was on July 31, 2013, and the judgment was also made on this day
• Judges include- Lord Neuberger, Lord Mance, Lord Kerr, Lord Hughes, and Lord Toulson
• Subject matter: A driver didn’t cause a death by virtue of driving their vehicle on the road when they shouldn’t have.
• Headnote: Main issue in this case was whether faultless driving can be considered a legal cause of death. This case ruled a driver isn’t guilty of causing death by driving if their driving was faultless and didn’t contribute to death.
• Judgment- Mr. Hughes wasn’t charged for Mr. Dickinson’s death but was charged for driving without a license and being uninsured too under s.3ZB of the Road Traffic Act 1988.